Multiple unit tube



Dec. 15, 1936, T.:1C/. PROUTY 2,064,354

MULTIPLE UNIT TUBE Original Filed 0012,11, 1930 ,?3 7 I INVE/WOR. 1 [Zea/ore Half/j.

' BY a Y r v U Patented Dec. 15,1936

MULTIPLE UNIT TUBE Theodore O. Prouty, Herinosa Beach Calif., assignor'to Metlox Corporation, Ltd'., Manhattan 'Beach, Calif.', a corporation of California Application October 11, 1930, Serial No. 487,930

Renewed June 23, 1936 6 Claims. (c 176-1221 This invention relates to a luminous display device, and especially to a changeable illuminated sign or character.

6 now commonly used. These tubes usually employ an inert gas at low pressures, such as the noble monatomic gases or mercury, which are energizedby. appropriate sources of electrical energy. Although such tubes can be connected as individual elements in a changeable device operated by a flasher mechanism, yet they are not so well adapted for this purpose as ordinary incandescent globes. The reason for this is that the tubes commonly utilized are ordinarily long for the sake of economy; and if made short to be comparable in size withan incandescent globe, the cost of terminals, connections and other accessories would be quite high.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a luminous tube structure that, while it employs a continuous gaseous column, can yet be sectionally energized as desired. In this way, only a definite portion of the whole tube can be rendered luminous, and the portion so rendered controllers.

To accomplish this result, I employ a tubing, either as asingle length or as a network, with intermediate connectors or electrodes. The energy for illuminating any section or sections of. the tube is supplied through any set of electrodes either at ends or at intermediate places, the tube portions between electrodes being made as short as desired for effective flashing.

Indeed, I may preferably so construct the intermediate electrodes as to make them flexible as by the aid of yielding metal tubing, whereby a length of tubing can at will be bent to conform to a definite configuration. Thus a single tube can be used toprovide a flashing border, the tube being bent at the electrode points to conform to a desired pattern. It is accordingly another object luminous, can be altered by appropriate circuit at the extremities of the external type.

- tight cap, and electrical energy can be led to these portions I6, II can be made in the form ofbelof standard tubing to the construction of any desired pattern.

My invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more easily apparent from a consideration of one em- 5 bodiment of my invention. For this purpose I have shown a form in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the present specification. I shall now proceed to describe this form in detail, which illustrates thegeneral principles of my invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of'my invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

- 15 Figure 1- is a diagrammatic sectional view of a tube embodying my invention, parts being broken away to reduce the length of the figure;.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing how tubes can be arranged at will to present a pattern that can be sectionally flashed;

In the construction of the tube, I may utilize any appropriate form of electrodes therewith.- For example, in Fig. 1 I show electrodes I I and I2 These electrodes are made in the form of a cap or thimble, telescoping over the end sections I3, I4 of the tube. These electrodes can be sealed in a mannernow well understood so as to provide an air electrodes as by appropriate socket arrangements 30 in which the electrodes are accommodated.

In tubes now common in this art, the glass -column extends between the tube extremities,

and the whole column is luminous or dark.'- 'I he fllling of the tube is usually neon, argon, helium or the like-with or without a few drops of mercury, at a pressure of from about 4 to 12 millimeters of mercury. However, in the present arrangement, -I provide a plurality of tube sec- 0 tions, such as I3, I4, I5, joined together by in-. termediate flexible electrode structure, such as I6, I'I. Each 0f these structures can be made to telescope over the adjacent tube ends, and is preferably flexible, as by being made from thin 4 copper tubing constricted between the sealed portions I8.

In order to increase the flexibility oi! the electrode structures, if desired, the constricted lows'; but ordinarily, suflicient flexibility can be obtained without any such expedients.

'I'he tube structure just described can be made" up of any desired number of sections such as display desired. For example, I show in Fig. 2,

a pair of tubes I9, 20 constructed in the manner described in connection with Fig. 1, and bent at the electrode joints such as 2|, 22, to form a double spiral, as in a border decoration scheme. A flasher 23 can be connected to any or all of the electrode members (either intermediate or end members) so as to controlthe sequence of energization of the tube elements comprising tubes I9, 20. If, for example, an energizing potential is applied between any two intermediate electrode members, the tube will be illuminated only between these members. Of course, it is to be understood that the source of energy supplied to the tube sections is such as to produce the desired currents flow. This can be done by'the aid of constant current transformers, as is now well understood in this art.

The flasher mechanism 23 can be designed to provide any desired sequences of illumination in any combination of sections that comprise tubes I9, 20.

I claim: l

1. A luminous tubecomprising a series of tubular sections forming a continuous gas column, and flexible tubular electrode structures joining the sections. Y I

2. A luminous tube comprising a series of tubular sections and means flexibly joining said sections together and forming thereby a conconsisting of a plurality of glass tubes surrounding the discharge path between said electrodes and a tube having corrugated walls interposed between and joining the adjacent ends of said glass tubes.-

6. A gaseous electric discharge lamp device comprising a container, electrodessealed therein, a gaseous atmosphere therein, said container consisting of a plurality of glass tubes surrounding the discharge path between said electrodes and a metal tube having corrugated walls interposed between and joining the adjacent ends of said glass tubes.

THEODORE C. 'PBOUTY. 

